14

When Arlene was 6 years old she sang onstage downtown in a variety show at the old Centre Theatre. She had to audition at the local radio station. There were three prizes awarded and out of 15 or 16 contestants, she won third prize with her rendition of the song "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard".

15

Arlene Petrany in front of City Hall the year after it was built.
October, 1952
City Hall, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

16

Arlene went to PCVS (Peterborough Collegiate & Vocational Institute) for high school from 1951 ‘til 1956 where she started at age 12. She had skipped a couple of grades in elementary school. When her parents were consulted about her skipping grades her father said "let the little tyke go on".

Arlene loved her time at PCVS. A lot of kids dropped out at grade 10, but she went all the way through. Her mother had been denied an education and was determined that Arlene would get one.

Arlene recalls there was a competition among the girls about clothes and who was the most in fashion. Kitten sweaters were all the rage.

17

Arlene Petrany.
1953
96 (now 240) Bennet Street, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

18

Arlene was devastated when she learned that she had to go to Kenner Collegiate, in the South End, for the end of grade 10. When Kenner was built in 1953 all of the local students who lived outside the city limits were required to go there. Arlene really didn't want to go to Kenner and continued at PCVS until she was forced out. Her mother invited the Director of Education, Dr. Ray, over to ask him if Arlene could stay at PCVS, but he said she had to go to Kenner Collegiate. Arlene was told by Dr. Ray that she could "go down there and you can sulk and not do well or you can give it your best, you've got one year to put in and then you can make your mind up". She thought it was only one year because at that time Kenner only went up to grade 10. She had a plan in mind if they indeed added higher grades at Kenner, she could still go to PCVS because she could take German and they didn't offer German at Kenner. Arlene worked on the school newspaper at Kenner. The paper initiated personality columns and she wrote the first ‘personality' column about Dr. Ray.

And so she went back to PCVS for grades 11 to 13.

19

Arlene Petrany talks about assemblies at Peterborough Vocational Collegiate School.
28 March 2006
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

20

The school held assemblies in auditorium every Tuesday and Thursday. Announcements were read out on stage instead of using a P.A. system. Cheerleaders would perform if there was a game coming up and sometimes a play was put on. Often a screen came down from the ceiling with words and they all sang songs. Arlene remembers singing ‘God Save the King' in school. When he died she was in grade 9 and when they sang ‘God Save the Queen' for the first time "it was strange".

21

Arlene Petrany sitting on her dad's car.
April, 1954
96 (now 240) Bennet Street, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

22

Arlene was a cheerleader at PCVS starting in grade 11. She recalls the cheerleaders wore saddle shoes, a maroon skirt and grey shirts with a ‘P' on the front. Before home football games there was a parade that went from the parking lot of the school down George Street to Hunter Street and into Riverside Park.

23

Arlene Petrany at the Peterborough Lift Lock.
April, 1954
Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

24

Arlene was very much involved with her high school. She was a member of the Drama Club, acting in several plays. In grade 13 she won the Phoenix Prize for an editorial she wrote for her grade 13 yearbook (the prize was ten dollars). Arlene recalls the editorial was on "what high school means to us". She was the editor of the yearbook that year. Each year the yearbook editor was chosen by the Head of the Latin Department.

Being editor meant an automatic ‘gold letter'. She was told she would have to give up her cheerleading but there was no question for her about what she would do. Only 9 people out of 103 got a gold letter. Students receiving this honour had to have high academic achievement and high extra-curricular involvement so the editor of the newspaper was automatically given a gold pin/letter.

25

School yells from Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School.
1952
Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

26

Peterborough Collegiate & Vocational School celebrated the 150th anniversary of the school in recent years. Arlene was invited to teach the current cheerleaders some of the old cheers to perform in a variety show.

27

Arlene Petrany at her friend Marybeth's house after a ‘Mother and Daughter Tea' party.
May, 1955
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada